“Thou shalt not steal.”
The command against stealing is yet another
that seems obvious but there is more to it than meets the eye. We are aware
that theft, larceny, robbery and any such activity is against this instruction
from God. Those of us that go to church have heard on a nigh weekly basis
Malachi 3:8-11. Commitment to returning tithe is a vital part of building faith
in God. We have multiple examples of the patriarchs returning tithe (Genesis
14:20; 28:22; Deuteronomy 14: 22; Hebrews 7:5,9) and God fulfilling His promise
to bless them. The tithe is a fixed amount – ten percent – however; we are also
admonished to give a liberal offering (Numbers 29:39; 2 Corinthians 9:7) for
different purposes such as, building and sustaining the church (Exodus 36:3-7;
2 Kings 12:4-14) or helping the widows and orphans among our numbers (1 Timothy
5:16). Neglecting these is a clear act of robbing God. God could easily send
what is needed from heaven to fulfil His work, but as a tool for our salvation
we are called to sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
However, we can be guilty of stealing a
wide range of things beyond money, such as, stationery supplies from work,
other peoples’ time, or even the affections of others. These are more subtle
and we often don’t consider the real repercussions of these actions. Supplies
from work may seem trivial but the smallest act of unfaithfulness is indicative
of one’s character. The life of sin occurs gradually, beginning with the small
indiscretions, which stand as excuses for larger ones. Scripture admonishes us
to be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8) because there is an enemy working solely for our
destruction.
What of time? How often do we steal time,
by being late, or unprepared or just forgetting an appointment? We steal God’s
time when we neglect the true purpose of the Sabbath. We also steal God’s time
when we neglect prayer and study. He gives us 24 hours in a day and 7 days in
the week. He asks specifically for one 24 hour period at the end of the week,
but, as with tithe and offering, for our sake, He asks us to give a bit more
willingly, that He can give us strength to sustain us each day (Psalms 55:17,
Psalm 119:164, Daniel 6:10). Many of us neglect daily devotion for selfish
reasons – 30 minutes more sleep, 1 hour more television – or because of
improper planning – food needs the be prepared, children need to be dressed,
household chores need to be done. Sometimes we even get all of these things
done but because of intemperance in our work and rest we sit to read or kneel
to pray then wake up 1 hour later not gaining anything from the time we should
have spent with God.
We also steal time from each other. With
the office supplies we steal time from our employers, spending work hours
socializing with co-workers, or scrolling through social media. Being
chronically late for work or appointments or unprepared for class or
presentations, all these steal a bit of a person’s time and life. In scripture
we have been promised prominence and great responsibility if we are diligent in
our work (Proverbs 22:29). However, there is an even graver theft, with eternal
consequences is, every time we neglect to share a word of hope with someone we
take away time they could have had knowing their Saviour (2 Timothy 4:2).
As we discussed in the previous post,
interpersonal relationships are a part of God’s will for our lives. Marriage
was created by God for our benefit and it is His will that we participate in
this institution. However, initiating a relationship outside of His will is to
our own detriment. Some individuals act insidiously to gain the affection of
others alienating them from their families. Many feel the desire to be in a
relationship and oftentimes neglect principles and responsibilities to achieve
this goal. Some relationships result in rifts between an individual and his or
her family because the chosen partner does not share the same foundational
values. This is stealing of a most treacherous form. Though we are admonished
to leave father and mother and cleave to spouse (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5) we
still have a responsibility to those who gave us life and supplied us with our
guiding principles (Exodus 20:12, Mark 7:9-13). When engaging in such long-term
relationships it is vital that we know who we are, where we stand and honour
the will of God in the attachments we form.
In Love
